Five Agents Who Were Surprised by SPOILER ALERT — And One Who Wasn't
by colorguard28
Summary: When news spreads of [SPOILERS ALERT], five agents who worked with Team Gibbs before are surprised by the news — and one is not. Spoiler for 10.24: Damned If You Do. This is an NFA White Elephant Exchange fic for SongBirdie-101. Prompt and AN to come at the end of the final chapter.
1. Chapter 1

**Five Agents Who Were Surprised By [SPOILER ALERT] — and One Who Wasn't**

**Spoilers:** 10.24 - Damned if You Do

**Title:** Five Agents Who Were Surprised By The Team's Resignation — and One Who Wasn't

**Rating:** PG

**Pairings: **Gen

**Characters: **Balboa, Burley, Dorneget, Jardine, Keating, Vance, Wilson

* * *

**Chapter 1: Dorneget, Ned**

Dorneget slipped out of the evidence locker, and the other two agents let him. They knew. Vance had triple-staffed the lockup the day Richard Parsons started his investigation — just in case. But nobody had seen the investigators yet today, so Dorneget took the chance.

He expected to see the MCRT in the bullpen, working to clear Gibbs' name. He stopped when he saw the empty space, looked around. Their gear was there, all except Agent Gibbs'. Three agents stood in line at the copier by the stairs, chatting and smiling. The rows of desks between the bullpen and the Most Wanted wall were full, heads down and low conversations to people on the other end of phone lines coming across in three — or was it four? — languages.

He looked up to the catwalk outside MTAC, where the team was just coming out of Vance's office. Tony looked like he was never going to smile again, and McGee's eyebrows had that furrow between them. Dorney couldn't read Ziva's face, but that was nothing new.

As the team walked downstairs, Dorneget stood, and waited for them to enter the bullpen.

"Hey, guys," he said. "I've got some time. I want to help."

"Not us," Tony said. "Ask some agents." His lips turned up in a mockery of a smile.

"Tony, this was your idea," Ziva said.

"It was our idea, Ziva," Tim said. "Come on, before Vance feels like he has to come down." Tim walked past Dorneget and grabbed his backpack. "Sorry, Dorney, but Tony's right. We're not the ones you should be helping."

Dorneget looked at McGee, then noticed what the computer-savvy agent was doing. Dorneget stepped back, inching toward Gibbs' desk, and looked over at the other two agents. Tony dropped his Mighty Mouse stapler in his pack. Ziva held the small Israeli flag from her pencil tin.

"Guys?" Dorneget felt his voice crack. "What are you..."

"We're no longer NCIS," Tim said as he took down the last of the photos tacked on the wall behind his desk. "We did all the things Parsons is charging Gibbs with, and we're not making Vance prosecute us. We confessed, and they're dropping the charges against Gibbs." Tim straightened up and turned to face Dorneget. "You've been a big help to us, Dorney," he said. "Thanks."

"But..." Dorneget just stared at Tim's outstretched hand. "You can't... I mean... What are you guys doing?"

Tony walked over and clapped him on the shoulder. "You're going to be a good field agent," he said. "You got hazed by the best." He grinned and winked. "Don't worry, we'll still be in the area."

Ziva joined them in the middle of the bullpen. "It is for the best," she said. "You will do well when you become an agent. You learned from the best." She shot a look at Tony. "Gibbs, that is."

"Ziva, you wound me." Tony shrugged. "Come on, McFreetime. Let's go have a few drinks before you turn into Thom E. Gemcity at midnight and go back to writing about Agent L.J. Tibbs and the rest of his team. At least this time, it really will be fiction."

They were gone before Dorneget could protest. He looked around the bullpen again, the three desks anonymous. Their owners' personalities were gone. Dorneget knew he should go back to the lockup, but he found himself walking upstairs.

When he entered Vance's assistant's office, she gestured for him to go in.

"Director?" Dorneget said as he edged through the doorway.

Vance looked up from where he sat at his desk, but didn't stand. "Agent Dorneget."

"Sir, I heard about Gibbs' team." Dorneget walked closer. "Are they-" he broke off as he saw the three gold badges sitting on the black desk, light glinting off the battered shields. "They weren't pulling my leg."

Vance shook his head. "Not this time." He picked up one of the badges. "The team had a few options, and they decided to take this one."

"But-" Dorneget cut himself off.

Vance arched an eyebrow. "You have something to say, Agent Dorneget?"

Dorneget nodded, then realized Vance was probably waiting for him to speak. "Whatever you need me to do, sir, I will. I want to help." He fought with himself before adding, "Agent Gibbs isn't like the IG investigator made him out to be, and neither are they."

"No, they're not." Vance stood. "You've been an asset to their team when they've needed you, Dorneget." He reached out a hand. "We have three agent openings, at least for now."

Dorneget looked at the hand holding the badge, then up at the director's face, then back down at the badge. "Sir?"

"I can't promise this is permanent," Vance said. "But Agent Gibbs will need team members once his current mission with JSOC is complete. Until that time, you'll work with me to help fill the gap."

Dorneget nodded, then realized Vance was still holding the badge out to him. He reached over and took it. "Thank you, Director."

He didn't really need it — he had his own on his belt — but he knew what Vance was offering him. "I'm not as good as them, but I can help until you and Agent Gibbs figure out how to get them back."


	2. Chapter 2

_**AN: **Thanks for the wonderful reviews! Special thanks to the guest commenter who caught "Mickey Mouse" vs. "Mighty Mouse." Yes, I did know the correct one. I'm not sure if my finger-brain connection or iMcGeek's autocorrect are to blame. :P It is fixed now. FYI: The story is done, and I'll be posting a chapter a day. On the final chapter, I'll post the wonderful prompt Valerie gave me. Those of you who've read my other stories, especially Breathe, will understand why it was my first choice as soon as you read it. _

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**Chapter 2: Keating, Daniel T.**

Noise buzzed around Keating's head, louder than the hum of machines that permeated CyberCrimes. He tried to focus on cracking the fifth level of encryption on this laptop from the Pentagon team, but the buzz grew louder. He ignored it, until he keyed in the wrong sequence of commands and lost what progress he'd made.

He looked up and blinked until his eyes refocused on the rest of the room. The rest of the CyberCrimes agents were whispering and carefully looking over at him, then away, as if they thought they were being surreptitious. Keating snorted. None of them would be any good as a field agent. He straightened up, knowing he was the only person on the Cyber squad that had done field duty. He should be the agent in charge down here. Still, he reminded himself, that would mean dealing with people. Being the elite hacker on the staff was a better role. More valuable.

Keating felt his ears burn at the scrutiny. He glanced down, but his lunch hadn't landed on his shirt while he was trying to eat and type at the same time earlier.

"Sir?" asked one of them, one of the younger ones.

"Yes, Mullaney?" Keating replied.

"Is it true?" Mullaney bit his lip, then glanced at the elevator, then lowered his voice almost to a whisper. "About your old team?"

"Gibbs' team?" Keating asked, though he knew that had to be the team Mullaney referred to.

"Did they really all resign?" asked another agent. "They said they did everything, not Gibbs."

Keating knew what they were talking about — everybody in the agency knew the Inspector General's office was after Gibbs.

"They said they did it all?" Keating asked, just to make sure. He couldn't imagine that. Who would sacrifice themselves for Gibbs? The man was about to retire and was so old-school that he used a phone that had been discontinued three years earlier. Keating had heard the supply crew muttering about where they could find more of the model because nobody wanted to deal with Gibbs and a smartphone.

Keating looked around to see nobody was willing to respond to him. "Seriously, you're telling me DiNozzo, McGee and David took the fall for Gibbs?"

Mullaney nodded. "Agent Gibbs has been reinstated and the others are gone. Vance took their badges."

Before Keating could reply, another agent chimed in: "Are you going to get your old job back? Vance must want you back on the team now that McGee's gone."

Keating laughed. "You think I want that?" He tried not to think about those months. Gibbs didn't follow any rules, didn't treat anybody like a coworker — more like a serf — and had broken dozens of laws just while Keating was on the team. Even with Agent Lee reminding him that what he was doing was illegal every other sentence. Keating stopped and focused again on the agents watching him. "Nobody's going to want those spots, not if they have any sense." He saw Mullaney turn red and focused his attention on the kid. "Whatever you're thinking, it's not worth it."

"But Agent Gibbs, he's the best agent in NCIS — ever." Mullaney straightened up. "Why don't you-"

Keating cut him off. "He's good at breaking rules. I don't know why those three did what they did, other than because they're stupidly loyal to an agent who can't do anything right, but if you want to volunteer to be Gibbs' latest minion and have him kill your career, too, go for it. I won't stop you. Just remember what happens to agents who don't go along with what Gibbs wants. The last one who did that got branded a traitor and killed by Gibbs."

Keating turned back to his computer and ignored the babble of voices behind him. Those three didn't deserve to be NCIS agents if they were going to have that little career self-preservation. Honestly. He couldn't believe they were willing to sacrifice themselves for Gibbs' ego.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Jardine, Nikki**

Nikki Jardine heard the rumors on the radio driving home that afternoon. When the news anchors in Washington were talking about NCIS, it was unusual. All of them focusing on a team of specific agents? Unheard of.

She focused her attention on the road. She couldn't afford to make a careless mistake. The news anchors must have it wrong. The team wouldn't do that. Nikki braked to a stop as the traffic light turned yellow, then checked the dashboard clock. In two hours when she reported to work on the Middle East desk, she could find out more.

Nikki wasn't sure exactly what the Inspector General's investigator had on Agent Gibbs and the team, but it must be big. Why else would the team take the fall for Gibbs?

If Parsons was taking down anybody associated with Agent Gibbs and Director Vance was letting them take the fall rather than Agent Gibbs, she should probably look for other options. She wondered if any of her contacts over at State could come up with an opening that allowed her to stay in Washington and visit her brother.

His VA benefits didn't cover much in the way of long-term care. They just wanted to warehouse her brother and let him waste away until his body finally gave up. If they could have pulled the plug years ago, they would have. But Nikki wouldn't authorize it. Her salary made up the difference between what his government benefits covered and the cost of the private facility that made sure to exercise his muscles and do everything they could to bring him out of his coma. She made sure not to think about how it had been five years since the IED exploded, five years since she'd seen his eyes open. Five years since he'd shown any signs of still being the big brother she'd adored as a child.

She couldn't abandon him. But if Parsons could find enough to hold over the team, he could find enough to hold over her and she had to avoid that. She examined possible contingency plans in her head as prepared for work.

She washed her hands, cleaning every surface, every crevice, as she wondered what the inspector had found to scare the team that badly.

She rinsed her hands in scalding water, then pulled out her hand sanitizer, free of the triclosan that encouraged super-bugs to breed. As she slathered it on her hands, Nikki wondered what the investigator had uncovered, and if it would bring down more people. She had worked with the team enough times.

They weren't a bunch of cowards. Agent DiNozzo would mouth off to anybody — including the director and occasionally to Agent Gibbs. And Officer David — no, now Agent David — she was fearless. Agent McGee was maybe a little less than the others, but he was loyal to a fault and would never give up Agent Gibbs or his teammates.

As she drove to the Navy Yard, she knew she should be focusing on the intel that she'd been trying to run down about possible arms shipments to Syria through Libya by an Irish company with ties to Americans. But when she sat at her desk, the first thing she did was dial a number for a State Department cover business.

Nikki told herself she was only checking in to see if Kalid had any sources who could help with the Syrian arms dealing she was investigating. Nothing else.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Wilson, Dwayne**

Agent Dwayne Wilson headed back to the NCIS office at Naval Station Mayport, the Florida heat leaving his shirt sticking to his back. Dwayne rolled the sleeves of his button-down up another turn, hoping the air-conditioning in the decrepit NCIS office was finally working. He had a notebook full of suspects and no forensic evidence because Jacksonville still hadn't gotten it back to him, but he was pretty sure the meth found on the fighters berthed at Mayport was part of a bigger ring. He'd seen the bulletins from DC with the details, several cases of meth being smuggled onto Navy bases, but no apparent answers for how. Dwyane wondered if there was anybody in DC he could check with. For a case this big, things had been pretty quiet. He'd figured as soon as his preliminary report had made it on the server yesterday, Director Vance would have one of the DC teams on the phone with him.

Dwayne hoped the MCRT had caught the case. He hadn't worked with them since that one mob case back before he headed off to FLETC, but he'd enjoyed his time with Gibbs and his team. He wanted to get a chance to show them he had learned since then, he wasn't as green as he had been back when he was still untrained. If he was honest with himself, a part of him wanted to see if Agent McAuley would be such an ass if Gibbs was running the case.

Dwayne was ready to transfer out of Mayport yesterday, but there hadn't been an opening that he could justify dragging his family to. The last three had been Agent Afloat postings. Gibbs could make dealing with McAuley bearable.

When he walked into the office, the wall of humidity made him groan. "Still not working?" he asked.

"What was your first clue?" Agent Simmons looked over from where he sat, a creaky oscillating fan blowing directly on his face. "Hey, you worked with Gibbs' team in Washington, right?"

Dwayne nodded. "They're the ones heading up the meth ring investigation?" He grinned. "Good. We'll have this cleared by tomorrow night."

McAuley snorted from his perch by the one window in the room. "They're fired."

"What?" Dwayne dropped his notebook. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me, Wilson." McAuley smirked. "The amazing Team Gibbs you worked with once is gone. Fired. Convicted. Guilty as shit."

"Guilty of what, clearing cases?" Dwayne crossed his arms and walked over to the Marine Corps washout.

"Cutting corners. Breaking laws. Hacking. Pretty much everything we're not supposed to do when we wear this badge." McAuley stood, his bulky frame towering over Dwayne. "These are the guys you learned from?" His mouth twisted in a mockery of a smile. "I don't think we can trust you to do this case right." He pushed past Dwayne and grabbed his notebook from where it still lay on the floor. "You're benched until I can review all your cases."

"Wait, what?" Dwayne walked over and blocked McAuley's path. "First, you can't do that. Second, there's no way the team did anything wrong. Yeah, they use every loophole they can find. But they're good investigators who do their jobs and do it well."

McAuley pointed to the TV in the corner where a talking head was blathering on. "Then why did they sign full confessions taking the blame for dozens — hundreds, even — of broken laws in the past 15 years?" He pushed Dwayne in the back until the agent moved, Dwyane's brain still trying to absorb the information crawling on the bottom of the screen. "Like I said, you're benched. And if I find anything, I'm taking it to the IG's office. I'll show them how far Gibbs' corruption has spread."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Balboa, Rick**

Agent Melanie Davis walked in and shut the door to the NCIS office at the Pentagon.

"What the hell, Mel?" Agent Doug Moskowitz stood up, sending his chair careening back against the cubicle wall. "How am I supposed to tell who walks down here to take the bait for our case with the door closed?"

"You haven't heard the news?" She arched an eyebrow at him. "The shit just hit the fan at the Navy Yard. The MCRT took the fall for Gibbs."

Pentagon Team Leader Rick Balboa managed not to look up, but only through long practice on stakeouts. He focused on the paperwork on his desk so they wouldn't realize he was listening. The way the room was set up, the cubicle walls hid him from view, so Balboa didn't even know if his second-in-command knew he was there when she walked in. Moskowitz had it right. What the hell was going on at the Navy Yard? Balboa listened to see what else he could learn from his team.

"Took the fall for Gibbs? More like Gibbs was going to cover for them," Moskowitz said. "No way Gibbs did any kind of hacking. As soon as the details of the charges started leaking out, I knew he was covering for them."

"Does it matter who's covering for whom?" Davis asked, leaning a hip on Moskowitz's desk. "The best team in NCIS is vacant — four spots open."

"Best team? Out for themselves is more like it," Moskowitz said. "I can't believe Gibbs was going to cover for them. If I screwed up, I'd never ask Balboa to cover for me." He paused. "Besides, if they took the fall, that means Gibbs is there, so it's not like there's a team leader job open. You know that's what you want."

As they speculated, Balboa's brain was busy churning through the facts he knew. There was no way Gibbs was letting the team take the fall for this — that was as far from the former Marine's code of conduct as possible. Gibbs never backed down, either — he'd do this no matter what Vance or SecNav or anybody else said. If he was letting the team confess and resign, there had to be something else going on. That was the only explanation.

He made a note to put memos in his two agents' files. Moskowitz made too many assumptions, a habit Balboa would have to break him of before the green agent had any chance of a promotion. As for Davis... Balboa was tempted to suggest that this op, whatever it was, would be a good way to show Davis how much she still needed to learn.


	6. Chapter 6

_**AN: **Huge thanks to Kyrie, Smackalicious and Kesterpan for editing and betaing, and special thanks to Smackalicious and Kesterpan for helping me figure out Burley's fiancee's name. Also, huge thanks to SongBirdie-101 for such an amazing prompt! _

_This is the prompt I was writing for: _

_Whatever happened to…? Gerald Jackson, Hollis Mann, Cynthia Sumner, Special Agent Cassie Yates, Tom Morrow, Agent Ron Sacks, The Red Haired Lady in the silver car who used to pick Gibbs up, Abby's bowling nuns, Sarah McGee, Leyla Shakarji, Amira O'Neill-Shakarji, Nikki Jardine, Jeanne Benoit, Maddie Tyler, Faith Coleman, Dr. Jordan Hampton, M. Allison Hart, E. J. Barrett, Damon Worth, Stephanie Bronwyn Flynn, and Trent Kort. Pick one or more of these characters and tell us, where have they been? How've they been? What have they been doing since we've seen them last? _

_Dorney and Burley have appeared recently, so they're not part of the prompt, but they were the two logical ones to round out the story for a 5+1 approach._

* * *

**Chapter 6: Burley, Stanley**

Stan Burley had expected the news as soon as he heard about the IG's investigation. He knew the team, and he knew Gibbs. This had to be the first move in something bigger. He'd known that from the moment he'd heard Parsons and his goon squad had marched into the Navy Yard to take Gibbs away.

He got checked through the gate at the Navy Yard, glad that his ship had been in port for the end of its deployment. He'd been able to convince the captain that he had to leave three days early even without formal orders from Vance. The chaos in the Navy Yard headquarters was the hot topic onboard, and he was sure the captain figured Burley was getting added to the new team. Burley didn't bother to disillusion him.

When he walked into the building, he had to think a second before finding his way to the familiar bullpen. The team's space was empty, and Burley found that he couldn't picture the open area without Tony, Ziva and McGee. He'd only been there once in all the years the team had worked together, but somehow the picture of the space had seemed so right that anything else was impossible to imagine.

Burley walked into Vance's office and was waved on by his assistant. "He's expecting you," she said.

Burley wondered how that could be true when Burley himself hadn't planned this. He'd just gone.

"Agent Burley." Vance stood in the middle of the room, his eyes on the TV tuned to ZNN and its coverage of the scandal of an entire NCIS team stripped of its duties for breaking the law.

"Director." Burley walked over and stood beside Vance, listening to the speculation, so at odds with the team he'd come to know over the years. "Whatever plan you're working on, I'll do anything I can to help."

Vance turned to face him. "Agent Burley, I appreciate the offer, but you shouldn't."

"Director, whatever the team is doing, I'm sure you need help. Even if all you need is cover in the bullpen so nobody suspects what's really going on."

Vance inclined his head slightly. "You'll be working with Agent Dorneget. He's assisted Gibbs and the team before, and he wants to be a full-time field agent." Vance walked over to his desk and picked up a file, then passed it to Burley. "Don't break him, Burley. Agent DiNozzo wants that honor when Dorneget earns his way into probationary agent status."

Burley couldn't stop his grin. "Tony does enjoy being senior field agent in a way I never did." He sobered. "What do you need us to do?"

"Investigate crimes." Vance looked at him. "That's all, Agent Burley. Dorneget isn't even a probie yet."

"Yes, sir." Burley nodded. "I appreciate you letting me help. Since I'm scheduled to stop Agent Afloating next month and I used to be on the MCRT, it should work as a smoke screen." He waited for Vance's nod, before continuing. "If you need me to do anything else, I will. Just let me know."

"No." Vance looked Burley in the eye. "You're giving up the shipboard position because you're getting married. This situation is dangerous. Far too dangerous for me to risk another one of my best agents as anything but a decoy. This is not a set of risks I can ask anybody to take."

"Director, with all due respect, if the situation is that dangerous, you need help. You need good agents, ones you can count on."

Vance shook his head. "Not you. Not this time." He turned, walked away. As he stood over his desk, he reached down and picked up a framed photo. Vance stared at it, and Burley didn't have to look to know who was in the photo.

"Sir-"

"Agent Burley." Vance looked over at him. "DiNozzo, McGee and David are fully aware of what they're getting involved in, and their roles are relatively safe, if somewhat frustrating for them. Agent Gibbs, likewise, is well aware of what his role involves. His is far more dangerous, but he insisted. You and Agent Dorneget have volunteered, but I will not put you at risk." Vance ran his thumb along the edge of the frame before setting it down on the desk, his eyes never leaving Burley. "Gibbs and his team are single, and while they each have family members, they also are not going to leave behind spouses or children."

"Sir-"

Vance shook his head. "You're getting married this fall, Agent Burley. You and your wife deserve a long life together."

"With all due respect, sir, we both know that given our respective careers, that's not likely to happen." Burley walked over to Vance, stood just a few feet from him. "Conner and I both know the risks involved in our jobs, and we do those jobs in spite of those risks because what we do matters. It matters to the Navy, it matters to us, and it matters to our country. You can't stand there and tell me not to take risks."

"Burley, this isn't your average mission." Vance gestured to his desk where a stack of folders was piled high enough that it was starting to teeter. "It's very likely a suicide mission for Agent Gibbs. I won't risk another agent, no matter what."

"Even if the mission needs more personnel? If you need another agent, let it be me." Burley said. He paused for a second. "You just said it yourself — 'for anybody else involved.' That's a lot of danger, and you need experienced agents. If all you need is a decoy, that's fine. Otherwise, let it be me." He looked down at where Vance's hand still rested on the framed photo. "You have your children, and you're all they have left. If something happens to me, Conner will deal with it. Let me take the risks."

"I can't do that." Vance shook his head. "I thought I knew. When I learned about Shannon and Kelly, I thought I understood what Gibbs had gone through. I thought I knew what that was like." He paused, drew in a breath. "I was wrong. There is no way to describe just how wrong I was. There is no way to understand that unless you've been there and been the one left alone." He reached out and put a hand on Burley's shoulder. "Knowing what Conner would go through, I can't ask you to do anything but be a team leader for a team that's rebuilding."

"You're not asking. I'm volunteering." Burley kept his gaze fixed on Vance. "Jackie and Shannon both waited at home. Conner serves, just as I do. We made the decision when we got engaged that except for both getting stateside assignments, we wouldn't do our job any differently."

Vance studied him for a minute, and Burley wondered what he was looking for. "All right. Agent Burley, your job as MCRT team leader will include training Agent Dorneget so he is ready to become a full-time field agent and working on Operation Omerta."

"Thank you, sir." Burley reached out to shake Vance's hand. "You won't regret this."


End file.
